Thrifted Finds # 7 : A Good Mouse

Lately my area has been estate sale central.  Sadly the company putting most of them on is very unprofessional & super unorganized which makes these crowded events pretty nerve-wracking (especially for those of us with anxiety disorders).  Despite my own personal "invisible dinosaurs" creeping around lately & making my body go haywire, I've been soldiering on & making myself attend the sales.  Huzzah, I've found some lovely things for the shop & for myself.  

These were some of my favorite finds from the past weekend.  The tschotchkes all came from the same estate sale & the 3D illustration books were found in three different thrift shops.

So, how sweet is this stuffed mouse!?  I fell in love the second I saw him from across the room ... just look at that little red felt hat & that faded pink bow!  Sadly his tag has been cut away, but he's in excellent (if slightly shabby) condition & I couldn't love him more.

I haven't decided yet whether he's staying or going, but for now we're calling him Gerald & he's keeping my matryoshka collection company.

He's a pretty big vintage mouse, sitting an impressive 7" tall from his toes to the tip of his hat.  I adore that crooked little tail & how he's got no arms.  He's a Dream Pet, his tag has been cut off, but you can see the orange edges & the beginnings of the lettering.  Figures, aren't Dream Pets just so dreamy!?

This wee yellow hen I found perched on a shelf in a kitchen window along with a bunch of other things I purchased that I believe people just overlooked because they hadn't been taken down & placed on the counters with everything else.  It has spring loaded legs & when you push it down it lays tiny, white plastic eggs.

I also found a wonderful old red & chrome Thermos & some darling turquoise measuring cups on those little window shelves.  Luckily I was following my own rule of, "Look UP!" that day.

A pack of Whitman miniature playing cards with cross-stitched bird & flower pot pattern.  I can't decide which is sweeter, that pattern or the perfectly playful little Joker illustration.  These may end up as business cards if they don't make their way to the shop.  I never know what to do with vintage playing cards ... split them up for folks to use in craft projects or sell them all as a pack to a collector.

Possibly one of my favorite finds this year, a brilliant wooden Mid-Century cat pen.  It has a removable brass refill & I'm going to take it in to an office supply & try to find a replacement.  It may stay as well, but I don't know.  I'm sure there would be someone out there who would love to use it every day.  We shall see.

 

Lastly, my small collection of 3D illustration children's books.  As a child you couldn't get me away from books, I started reading at 4 years old & haven't been found without reading material on hand since!  These types of books were always very dear to me & I read & reread them ... hypnotized by the details in those pictures.  Check out the lovely cuckoo clock & their kinda spooky green eyes.

I remember this Peter Rabbit book by Grosset & Dunlap very well.  This illustration in particular, from the part in the story where Peter comes upon the mouse who cannot help him because she's got a pea in her mouth.  Peter is so sad & has these enormous tears in his eyes.  It tore at my heartstrings 25 years ago & can still do so today!  This is a 1985 edition of the 1968 classic.

 

Lastly there's this amazing 3D Playmore Peter Pan.  I can't stand how lovely the pictures are, so detailed & kitschy.  Sadly the 3D plate that should be on the cover is long gone, but maybe someday I'll find one that's intact.

I was so excited to find them all in such good condition.  I always keep a lookout for these type of vintage children's books; strange that I'd find three of them in three different thrifts in one day.  They are welcome additions to my collection.

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